LeBron James just ended the 21st Regular Season of his career in a way… “it couldn’t be better than LeBron James”.
At an age when most of his colleagues are already enjoying their post-career years of rest, LeBron still remains in the NBA, bombarding all opponents and presenting an image that is both younger and stronger than ever.
In the Lakers’ extremely important match to lock in 8th place in the rankings, LeBron James led the entire team with a triple-double of 28 points, 11 rebounds and especially 17 assists.
Not only that, James is also responsible for defending Zion Williamson, the 1m98 tall scoring machine weighing nearly 130kg of the New Orleans Pelicans. However, LeBron still did a good job, holding Zion from a season average of 22.9 points/game to just 12 points (4-13 FG) and 4 turnovers in 34 minutes of play.
LeBron James’ comprehensive defensive performance set the stage for the entire Los Angeles Lakers team to flourish, defeating the Pelicans with a final score of 124-108.
Besides LeBron James’ shining performance, Anthony Davis contributed greatly with 30 points and 11 rebounds against the team that selected him with the 1st pick in the NBA Draft 12 years ago.
However, the Los Angeles Lakers center forward had to leave the field early due to injury, sharing that his back was strained midway through the fourth quarter after a push by Larry Nance Jr on the Pelicans side.
“I will treat and relax, letting the medical team do what they do best. I have 36 hours to rest and recover, then I will be ready to play,” Anthony Davis answered reporters after the victory.
In addition to the LeBron – Davis team, Austin Reaves scored 20 points and D’Angelo Russell added 19 points for the Los Angeles Lakers. Rui Hachimura completed the group of 5 players in the starting lineup who all reached double-digit points in scoring, bagging 11 PTS along with 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
As for the Pelicans, the duo expected to shine for New Orleans is Zion Williamson and the scoring star who just returned from injury Brandon Ingram, playing under strength.
Zion was tightly marked by LeBron James and only had 12 points (4-13 FG), while Ingram played 23 minutes and scored 13 points. CJ McCollum led the Pelicans with 23 points (9-19 FG, 4-9 3PT) and 7 assists. Herb Jones scored 18 points and 5 rebounds.
This result not only helped the Los Angeles Lakers close the Regular Season in a favorable position in the Play-in Tournament series, it also caused the New Orleans Pelicans to fall out of the top-6 and lose their direct ticket to the Playoffs.
Phoenix Suns with a surprising 125-106 win over the top-3 team Minnesota Timberwolves, advanced straight to the Playoffs round and pushed the Pelicans down to the risky Play-in group.
The fate is that the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers will rematch in the opening match of the NBA Play-in Tournament, taking place at 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 17.
The Pelicans will have a chance to avenge being eliminated from the top-6, but this is not an easy task because Zion Williamson and his teammates have lost 5 of the last 6 times they met the Lakers.
